Railway traffic controlling apparatus



Feb. 6, 1945. N. c. SHAW 2,368,785

RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS Filed April 16, 1943 V I Q' IINVENTOR zvoble C? Jfiaw H11 ATTORNEIY Patented Feb. 6, 1945 RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS Noble C. Shaw,

Penn Township,

Allegheny County, Pa., assignor to The Union Switch & Signal Company, Swissvale, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 16, 1943, Serial No. 483,285

Claims.

My invention relates to railway traffic controlling apparatus, and. particularly to apparatus of the type involving a flasher relay for at times controlling a signal to display an intermittent or flashing indication.

In various arrangements for controlling a signal by a flasher relay comprising two control windings alternately energized, it is common practice to employ a slow release flasher checking relay so controlled by a contact of one of the windings of the flasher relay as to be energized.

only if the flasher relay is actually operating for the intended purpose of controlling the signal to display a flashing indication. One such arrangement is shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,166,083, granted July 11, 1939, to A. R. Whitehorn, for Traflic controlling system forrailroads.

One feature of my invention is the provision of means comprising a front and a back contact of a flasher checking relay for controlling the associated flasher relay so that when the flasher relay control circuit becomes closed, the first periods of energization of the windings of the flasher relay will be lengthened, and will therefore fully energize these windings, thereby improving the initial operation of the flasher relay.

I shall describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, and shall then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic view showing one form of apparatus embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, a signal, designated by the reference character 2, is shown for governing traffic movements along a track X over a track switch l in the normal position, as shown in the drawing, or for governing traffic movements from track X over switch l in its reverse position to an auxiliary track Y. Signal 2 may be of any suitable design such-for example, as the Searchlight type, having a lamp 2E. Signal lamp 2E is controlled by a signal relay 2H and by a flasher relay FR. If signal 2 is of the Searchlight type, the mechanism of this signal may also be controlled by a front contact 55 of relay 2H.

Relay 21-1 is in turn controlled by a manually operable device such, for example, as a lever 2V, by a switch contact 5, by a flasher relay FR, and by a flasher checking relay FC. Relay 2H may also be controlled'in part by a relay R which is controlled in any suitable manner such, for example, as by a traflic responsive relay for the section of track in which switch I is located.

Lever 2V operates a contact 3 which is normally open when lever 2V occupies a normal position n, in which ity is shown in the drawing, but which becomes closed when lever 2V is moved to a reverse position r.

Switch contact 5 is operated in conjunction with switch I so as to be closed in the normal position, in which it is shown in the drawing, when switch I occupies its normal position, and to be closed in the dotted line position when switch I is operated to the reverse position.

Flasher relay FR is controlled by lever 2V, by relay R, by switch contact 5 in the reverse position, and by flasher checking relay FC.

Relay FR has a first control winding 6, and a second control winding 1. Winding 6 of relay FR, upon becoming energized while winding 1 of this relay is deenergized, will open its back contacts l0 and I4 and close its front contact 8, and will also open front contact 9 of winding l and close back contact H of winding 1. Similarly, winding 1 of relay FR, upon becoming energized while winding 6 is deenergized,-will open its back contact ll, if it is already closed, and will close its front contact 9, if open, and will also open contact 8 of winding 6, if this contact is closed, and will close contacts In and [4 of winding 6, if they are open. Relay FR, is so constructed that the contacts of its windings 6 and l are biased toward the positions in which they are shown in the drawing. Consequently, when both windings are deenergized, contact 9 of winding 1 and contacts l0 and M of Winding 6 are closed, and contact 8 of winding 6 and contact H of winding 1 are open.

Flasher checking relay F0 is controlled over the same circuit path as relay FR as far as switch contact 5, and is controlled from there by relay FR.

As shown in the drawing, all parts of the apparatus are in the normal condition, that is, lever 2V occupies its normal position 11. in which it is shown; relay R is energized; switch I is in its normal position; relays FR, FC and 2H are deenergized; lamp 2E of signal 2 is constantly lighted; and the mechanism of signal 2 is deenergized, so that this signal is indicating stop.

The circuit by which lamp 2E is constantly lighted passes from terminal B of a suitable source'of current, through the back point of contact I5 of relay 2H, and lamp 2E to terminal 0 of the same source of current.

In describing in detail the operation of the apparatus, I shall first assume that, with switch I in the normal position, a leverman moves lever 2V to its 1' position, thereby completing a circuit for energizing relay 2H, this circuit passing from terminal B, through contact 3 of lever 2V, contact 4 of relay R, contact 5 of switch I in the normal position, back point of contact I3 of relay FC, and the winding of relay 2H to terminal 0. Lamp 2E of signal 2 will now be energized by a second circuit, passing from terminal B, through contact I4 of winding 6 of relay FR, front point of contact I5 of relay 2H, and lamp 2E to terminal 0. Since relay FR is deenergized, contact I 4 of this relay remains constantly closed, and hence lamp 2E is constantly lighted. With relay 2H energized, the mechanism of signal 2 will be energized by a circuit including contact I5 of relay 2H, and hence signal 2 will display a. constant proceed indication.

I shall next assume that, by some suitable means, switch I is operated to the reverse position, and that the leverman again move lever 2V to its 1 position, thereby closing contact 3. A circuit is thereby completed for energizing winding 5 of relay FR, this circuit passing from terminal B, through contact 3 of lever 2V, contact 4 of relay R, contact 5 of switch I closed in the reverse position, winding 6 of relay FE, and the back point of contact I2 of relay FC to terminal 0. Winding 5, upon thus becoming energized, will open its contacts Ill and I4, and

contact 9 of winding I, and will close its con tact 8 and contact II of winding I. A circuit is now completed for energizing relay FC. which is the same as the circuit previously traced for relay FR as far as contact 5 of switch I, and which then passes through contact II of windmg I of relay FR, and the winding of relay FC to terminal 0.

In former arrangements, which do not include the front and back points of contact I2 of relay FC. a shunt path around winding I of relay FR becomes opened a soon as contact 9 of winding I opens, and a shunt path around winding Ii of relay FR. becomes closed as soon as contact 8 of winding 6 closes.

In apparatus embodying my invention, however, the shunt path around windin I of relay FR remains closed until relay FC has become energized and opened its contact I2 at the back point. and the shunt path around Winding 6 of relay FR does not become closed until contact I2 of relay PC has closed at its front point. In this Way, the first period of energization of winding 6 is lengthened, in apparatus embodying my Invention, thereby making provision that winding 6 becomes fully energized, and winding I also becomes fully energized during its succeeding period of energization. During the brief interval between the time of opening of contact I2 at its back point and the closing of this contact at its front point, windings 6 and I of relay FR are connected in series with each other.

As soon as contact I2 of relay FC closes at its front point, a circuit is completed for energizing winding I, which is the same as the circuit previously traced for Winding '6 as far as contact 5 of switch I, and which then passes through contact 8 of winding 6, front point of contact I2 of relay FC, and winding I to terminal 0. Winding I, upon thus becoming energized, opens contact 8 of winding 6 and closes its own back con tact 9. Winding 6 therefore now becomes energized by a circuit which is the same as the circuit previously traced for this winding as far as con tact 5 of switch I, and which then passes through winding 6, front point of contact I2 of relay FC,

and contact 9 of winding I to terminal 0. Windings B and I will now continue to b alternately energized by circuits including the front point of contact I2, previously described, as long as the path remains closed from terminal B through contact 5 of switch I.

During this operation of relay FR, relay PC is intermittently energized by its circuit including contact II of relay FR, but relay FC, being of the slow releasing type, will retain its contacts I2 and I3 closed at their front points. Relay 2H is also now intermittently energized by a circuit which is the same as the circuits previously traced for winding 6 of relay FR as far as contact 5 of switch I, and which then passes through contact III of winding 6 of relay FR, front point of contact I3 of relay FC, and the winding of relay 2H to terminal 0. Relay 2H, being also of the slow releasing type, will retain its contact I5 closed at the front point, and lamp 2E of signal 2 will therefore be intermittently enersized by its circuit, previously traced, through contact M of winding '6 of relay PR. The mechanism of signal 2 will be held in the proceed position by a circuit including contact I5 of relay 2H.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In electrical controlling apparatus including a flasher control relay which comprises a first and a second control winding and a front and a back contact for each of said windings and which is constructed so that each of said windings if energized while the other winding is deenergized will open its own back contact and the front contact of the other winding and will then close its own front contact and the back contact of the other winding if the various contacts are not already in those positions and which is also constructed so that the back contact of the first winding and the front contact of the second winding are biased toward their closed positions if both windings are deenergized, including a slow release flasher checking relay controlled by a back contact of the second winding, the combination comprising, a control circuit for energizing said first winding including a back contact of said checking relay connected in multiple with the second winding, a control circuit for energizing said second winding including a front contact of said checking relay and a front contact of said first winding connected in series with each other but in multiple with said first winding, and a second control circuit for energizing said first winding including a front contact of said checking relay and a front contact of said second Winding connected in series with each other but in multiple with said second winding.

2. In electrical controlling apparatus including a flasher control relay which comprises a first and a second control winding and a front and a back contact for each of said windings arranged so that each of said windings upon becoming energized and operating its own front and back contacts to the closed and open positions respectively will at the same time operate the front and back contacts of the other winding to the open and closed positions respectively and also arranged so that the back contact of the first winding and ing deenergized, and means including a front 7 contact of said checking relay for energizing said first and second windings alternately.

3. In electrical controlling apparatus including a flasher control relay which comprises a first and a second control winding and a front and a back contact for each of said windings arranged so that each of said windings upon becoming energized and operating its own front and back contacts to the closed and open positions respectively will at the same time operate the front and back contacts of th other winding to the open and closed positions respectively and also arranged so that the back contact of the first winding andthe front contact of the second winding are biased toward their closed positions, including a slow release flasher checking relay controlled by a back contact of the second winding, the combination' comprising, means controlled by said checking relay in its deenergized condition for energizing said first winding and keeping said second winding deenergized, and means including a front contact of said checking relay in series with a front contact of said first winding or of said second winding for energizing said second or said first winding respectively.

4. In electrical controlling apparatus including a flasher control relay which comprises a first and a second control winding and a front and a back contact for each of said windings arranged so that each of said windings upon becoming energized and operating its own front and back contacts to the closed and open positions respectively will at the same tim operate the front and back contacts of the other winding to the open and closed positions respectively and also arranged so that the back contact of the first winding and the front contact of the second winding are biased toward their closed positions, including a slow release flasher checking relay controlled by a back contact of the second winding, the combination comprising, means controlled by said checking relay in its deenergized condition for energizing said first winding, and means controlled by said checking relay in its energized condition for energizing said first and second windings alternately.

5. In controlling means for electric signal apparatusincluding a flasher control relay which comprises a first and a second control winding and which is constructed so that a back contact of the first winding and a front contact of the second winding are biased toward the closed position when both windings are deenergized, including a slow release flasher checking relay controlled by a back contact of the second winding, the combination comprising, means controlled by said checking relay in the deenergized condition for energizing said first Winding and keeping said second winding deenergized, and means con trolled by said checking relay in its energized condition for energizing saidfirst and second windings alternately.

NOBLE C. SHAW. 

